Electric switch



June 14,l 1927.

A. H. [NERO ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Aug. 12. 1921y 2 YSheecS--lSh-.eet 2 l vwentoz #rdcb/v www www@ ,Patented .lune 14. 192i;

UNITED STATES -1.632.616 PATENT oFrlcE.

nvm II. Nuno,- OI' Nnw BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, Ass'IGNoR ToA THE ARROW ELEC- TRIO com I'ANY, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, CORPORATION or CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application mea August '12, 1921. serial Navman?.

. -My invention relatesto electric switches, more 'particularly of the oscillating snap switch t pe. Y

One o ject of my invention is to provide a simple strong snap action with a long break. Another object. is to provide a switch of small dimensions which will carry heavy currents and therefore be especially useful in electric drill handles and other machines where such currents are used. .Another object 1s to provide a lhandle which will prevent any blows it may receive from being transmitted to the switch mechanism.

In the drawings I have, for convenience, 16 shown the mechanism'installed in a tubular handle such as is found on electirc drills and other electrical implements.

Fig. 1 is a 1an view; 4 Fig. 2 is a roken Sectio.. ,on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the switch open;

. i 3. is another lo 4gitudinal section,

showing the switch closed; Fig. 4 is-a cross section'on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 2, showing the assembly of the stationary contracts and insulation;

Fig. 6 isja section on the line 6'-6 of Fig. 2 showing the assembly .ofthe terminals.

Figs. 7 and' 8 are sectional views showing two styles ofthe :shock resisting form .of handle; v

Fig. 9 'isff'a perspective view of the moving ontact and 1ts'- spring and insulating link.

il The `Vframe'of'the mechanism consists of f vthe insulatin side pieces 1, which are s 7aced at the ends y the insulation stri s 1 and 18. Screws 4 hold the frame toget er at the four corners and at both ends ofthe flanged metal top 3 which lits over the side pieces 1.

Pivoted to this frame at 5 is the-operatin' lever'6, which ma havev a handle or thum piece 7 in one with the bodyof the lever, as

shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This lever-can ber stamped out of one piece of metalandthe thumb piece 7 formed by twisting thatlend at right angles to the bod but for some purposes it is desirable to flo handle as hereinafter described in connection I0 withI Fi 6 and 7. Inorder to reduce the size of t e switch Vas fa-r as ssible the body of the lever 6 is made of t e angular form best seen in Fig. 3,to fit as far as possible around a moving Contact member 8. Con- II necting the tip of the operating lever 6 and forms abarrier of insulation between-those two contacts. Oneither sideofthe central f rm the projecting theA moving contact member 8, is a tension spring 10, and while I' prefer to insulate the o erating lever 6 at this point by an insulat1ng1in`k 11, the lever could instead, be insulated at other points.

The movin contact member 8 consists of two L-shape contact blades, each having a short end notched to t on one of pivot pins'14 set in the insulated sides 1. These contact blades are joined together at the elbow by a bridge 13 and the tension spring Y10.is attached to this bridge, so that the moving contact member is thereby held a ainst these pivot pins. These pins are set 1n the insulated sides 1 so that the insulation of the moving contact menber 8 is thereby com- `p1eted. Thespring 10 is connected to the operatin lever 6 at sucha point that the pull ont e bridge 13 of the moving; contact member 8 swings from one side of the center of the pivots 14 to the other as the operatmg lever is moved. In this way I obtain oscillatin sna. action of the moving contact mem r. .he free ends of the blades I2 act as contacts to engage corresponding sta-l tionary contacts 15 carried by the frame.

The assembl of the insulating strips of the frame an stationary contacts 15 and terminals 16 is shown best in- Figs. 5 and 6. A central insulating's'trip17 at each end oi" 85 the frame acts as a stop for the operating lever 6. This can be seen in vFigs 2 and 3.

At the end of the frame where the stationary contacts 15 are located this strip 17 also insulating strip 17 lie two additional strips 18. Near the topof the switch these are longenough to act as stops for'the'bridge 13 of the moving contact 8 at the two extremes of its movements. Outside the strips 18 are the side ieces 1, the whole assembly being'held togetv er by the screws 4: as before described.

The stationary contacts 15 and terminals 16 are mounted in these; insulation strips. For each terminal and stationary contact there-are terminal holdingscrews 9 through holes'ineach outer str1p 18, whic hold the contact. blades 15 and plate 16 of each terminal fastto their m- 106 sulating stripnind in 4electrical contact with each other.l e inner strips 18are recessed to accommodate the heads of these-screws 9 as shown in Fig. 6 and the" sidepieces 1 have openings through them in which he the no -lee terminal plates 16. In the drawings I have shown each stationary contact as having two blades, with 2one blade on each side of its outer strip 18. By letting the terminal holding screws extend a little distance outside the terminal plate they form retaining lugs for the wire which is fastened under a binding screw .19 located between them as shown in Fig. 6. By the described construction I 0btain brushing contacts having insulating material between the contacts on one side of the switch and the contacts on the other, as well as a long break. The carrying capacity of the switch is consequently much greater than that of other switches of this size and style. As an additional means of insulation a liber sheet may be wrapped around the frame as shown in Fig. I4. The switch is inserted in the tubular handle 21 of any electrical implelnent by sliding the handle into opening 22l in the tube and fastening the metal top 3 to the tube by screws 23.

Switch handles are often accidentally hit and the switch mechanism damaged. This yis especially true in the case of electrical implements which are knocked and vdropped frequently. Wherever it is desired to avoid the danger of such accidents the handle may be constructed to cushion the blow, as shown in the modieations in Fig. 7 or that shown in Fig. 8.v For this purpose, I may mount a spring-pressed ball 24 loosely on the handle shank 25, making the ball sufiiciently large to rest in the frame of the implement on both sides of the slot as well as the end. In this way the ball never lifts up clear of the slot in the casing of the implement and the effect of a blow struck on ball 24'nevei` reaches the switch mechanism, being taken up by the casing. Thus, while the handle shank 25 has an arcuate motion about the pivot 5 within the casing, the ball 24, or handle has a rectilinear motion above the casing outside of the slot. A f

In the type shown in Fig. 7 the ball 24 has a hole running through its center and a shank 25 of the operatinor leverf6 liesin this hole.- A spring 26 on t e shank 25 tends'to keep the ball pressed against the casing of the tool by being confined between the head 27 of the shank and the shoulder 28 at the lower end ofthe hole in the ball. In the type shown in Fig. 8 the hole does not eX- tend through the ball. It will be ap arent that this form of handle is adapta le to other types of switch. l

I claim:-

1. In a switch mechanism an insulated toggle contact member consisting of two L- shaped contact plates joined at their elbows in combination with an insulating frame, a separate pivot pin on the frame 'for one end of each contact plate and an operating spring fastened to the joint between the ates.

p 2. In a switch mechanism, terminal plates, double bladed contacts insulated from each 'other and a binding screw connecting the blades of each contact and the corresponding terminal plate, in combination with a central insulating strip having said contacts on opposite sides thereofand separating and isolating them from each other.

3. In a switch mechanism, a frame, a toggle contact member insulated from said frame, a tension spring to operate said toggle contact member and bladcd stationary contacts cooperating with said toggle contact member, in combination with a one- ,pieee `combined operating member and handle shank controlling said spring and connected to said toggle contact member by said spring, and a link insulating said contact member from said combined member.

4. In a switch mechanism, Ia easing, and a handle shank projecting through a slot in the easing having an arcuate motion about a pivot within the casing, in combination with a handle loosely mounted upon said handle shank, and a spring on said shank pressing the handle to the easing, said handle having a yrectilinear motion along the casing outside of the slot.

In testimony whereof I have signed my Vname to this specification.

VID H. NERO. 

